Archive - Apr 24, 2012

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warning: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Chicago' for 'CST/-6.0/no DST' instead in /var/www/vhosts/samoanews.com/httpdocs/sites/all/modules/archive/archive.pages.inc on line 330.

warning: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Chicago' for 'CST/-6.0/no DST' instead in /var/www/vhosts/samoanews.com/httpdocs/sites/all/modules/archive/archive.pages.inc on line 331.

warning: date(): It is not safe to rely on the system's timezone settings. You are *required* to use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. In case you used any of those methods and you are still getting this warning, you most likely misspelled the timezone identifier. We selected 'America/Chicago' for 'CST/-6.0/no DST' instead in /var/www/vhosts/samoanews.com/httpdocs/sites/all/modules/archive/archive.pages.inc on line 332.

Governor Togiola Tulafono’s final Flag-Day speech was a lamentation of a missed opportunity during his time at the helm to change the territory’s political status. He didn’t say what exactly that status might have been, but it was “written between the lines of the deed of cession” he said.

Hawaiian Airlines announced yesterday that the Honolulu-based carrier has renewed its partnership with LBJ Medical Center to provide critical travel support for needed medical treatment abroad through a special program offering discounted fares to Honolulu, the mainland and Manila, Phillippines.

The partnership, now in its second year, targets LBJ patients under the off-island medical referral program, which has been without sufficient funding since December of 2008.

During Flag Day celebrations this month, Gov. Togiola Tulafono was able to hold meetings with leaders of Samoa, Tonga and Tuvalu on various issues of mutual interest, including air service that could benefit local businesses by using American Samoa as a shopping hub for residents and the government of Tuvalu.

Forty five minutes into yesterday’s Senate Investigative Committee hearing on the government’s $20 million loan from the ASG Retirement Fund, two committee members left the Senate chamber for health reasons, prompting committee chairman Sen. Lualemaga Faoa to continue the hearing at a later time, due to the lack of a quorum.

At the start of the 9 a.m. hearing, Lualemaga announced that SIC had a quorum (five senators including the chairman) to proceed. Witnesses were then sworn in.

Miss Dolly Virginia Garrison, the 2012 American Samoa Cherry Blossom Princess during the Cherry Blossom parade this past Saturday in Washington, D.C. She was selected to represent the territory by the American Samoa Society of Washington, DC.

Dolly is the granddaughter of Toaali’i “Lopaki” Robert Palmer from the villages of Fagatogo and Vaitogi.

Captain Lavata’i Taase Sagapolutele who heads the Criminal Investigation with the Department of Public Safety is reaching out to the public for assistance in the search of 39-year old Faafetai Tuinei who has been missing since March 4, 2012.

Captain Sagapolutele said they are receiving tips from the public, however those clues have been unsuccessful in the search. Posters with photos of Tuinei have been posted in stores in the western district with contact information included.

BlueSky officially announced the launch of its new mobile broadband product known as Blue Sky SpeedNet, during a press conference yesterday morning at their Laufou offices.

According to Blue Sky, you can connect to the internet by simply inserting the BlueSky USB Dongle device into your laptop or desktop computer. This new product utilizes BlueSky’s4G HSPA + network to provide high speed internet all across American Samoa in places where the internet was previously unavailable.

A man who allegedly struck his wife’s head with a piece of lumber is now facing second degree assault; this in addition to private peace disturbance and public peace disturbance charges. The incident is alleged to have occurred in Pago Pago two weekends ago.

According to the government’s case, police received a call from the LBJ hospital about a woman who was allegedly assaulted by her husband, when she was taken in for medical treatment.